Thread feeding mechanism for knitting machines



Sept. 17, 1929. G. MURPHY ET Al. 1,728,300

THREAD FEEDING MECHANISM FO-R KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 13, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet l Sept' 17, 1929- G. MURPHY ET Al. 1,728,300

THREAD FEEDING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 13, 1921I 5 sheets-sheet 2 MQ. 4 QM Sept. 17, 1929. G. MURPHY ET AL 1,728,300

THREAD FEEDING' MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 15, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 mmm :Hummm SePt- 17, 1929 G. MURPHY ET Al. '1,728,300

THREADFEEDING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 13, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 sept. 17, 1:52a. G. MURPHY ET AL 1,728,300

THREAD FEEDING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Patented Sept. 17, 1929 J i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GILBERT MURPHY AND WALTER A. SIMOND, OF FRANKLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNORS TO ACME KNITTING MACHINE @t NEEDLE, COMPANY, OF FRANKLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A CORPORATION OIF NEW HAMPSHIRE THREAD-FEEDING MECHANISM FOR KNITTIIIG MACHINES Application iiled April 13, 1921. Serial No. 469,958.

This invention relates to hosiery knitting knitting to the other. Consequently, this machines and is especially concerned with machine is adapted to knit hosiery in which the thread feeding mechanism of machines the heel and toe- `are fashioned and which of this typ@ has a ribbed cuff or leg. So far as the fea- It has been proposed heretofore to protures of the present invention are concerned, 55

vide hosiery knitting machines with autohowever, the mechanism added tothe Hempmatic mechanism for reinforcing the heel hill machine to enable the ribbing operation and toe of a stocking, and also for reinforcto be performed need not be described.

ing certain other parts of the stocking. .Reference should be made to vthe Hemp- The present invention, however, aims to imhill patent above designated for a complete G0 prove both the reinforcing means and also understanding of the driving and controlthe mechanism that controls this means with ling mechanisms of the -machine shown; a view particularly to simplifying such conbut a brief description of certain features structions, improving their reliability, and of this machine will be given here, the parts i5 reducing their cost of manufacture. referred to being designated by the refer- 65 The nature of the invention. will be readence Characters used for them in the Hempily understood from the following descriphill patent. y

tion when read in connection with the ac- For present purposes it is suiiicient to companying drawings, and the novel fea- State that the machine shown comprises a tures will be particularly pointed out in the main driving shaft 7, Fig. 2, which is driven 70 appended Claims` l through suitable connections with high and Referring now t0 the accompanying drawlow speed pulley 10a and 10, respectively. ings` rThe machine also includes a cam shaft 30 Figure 1 is a Side elevationof a knitting that is driven through a pavvl and ratchet machine embodying the features of the presmechanism under the control of the pattern ent invention. certain parts of the machine chain 35, and this shaft carries certain of beine' omitted for.` the sake of clearness; the y cams through which the sequence of F ig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of operations of the machine is controlled.

the operating mechanism of the machine The needle cylinder is mounted at the head shown in Fig. 1; of the machine, as will readily be underso Fi 3 is a rea-r elevation of certain part-s stood by those skilled in this art, and is held ofthe machine with which the features of in a stationary position while the cams that the present invention are more particularly operate the needles rotate around it. Usually concerned; this cam mechanism rotates continuously, Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the twister but in fashioning the heel and toe the cams S5 mechanism at the head of the machine; are given a rotary reciprocating movement.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a For this purpose also half the needles are detail of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4; thrown out of action at the beginning of the and heel and toe knitting operations and this t0 Fig. 6 is a view of the opposite side of the operation is produced by a cam 171, Figs. 1 90 mechanism shown in Fig. 4. and 2, carrying cam members 173EL and 173b The drawings illustrate the features of which engage with the end of a bell crank the present invention as embodied in a malever 156 mounted on a stub shaft 26. Norchine constructed substantially in aecordmally this lever is held in the position in 415 ance with the Hemphill Patent No. 629.503, which it is shown in Fig. 1 but when it is 95 granted July 25,1899, although the machine acted upon by one of the cams on the cam illustrated includes modifications of the wheel 171 it is tipped in a clockwise direc- Hemphill machine which enable it to knit tion for the purpose above mentioned. Beeither plain or ribbed fabrics and to change cause ofthe functions performed by the cani mitcmaticaliy from one of acid styles of 171 and die bell crank lever 15G, these 1D0 parts are commonly referred to, respectively, as the heel and toe earn and the heel and toe lever.

According to the present invention this mechanism is utilized in controlling certain functions ot the thread reinforcing or twister mechanism. For this purpose the rear arm ot the lever is drilled to receive two links 195 and 195, Fig. 3, the link 105 being pivotally connected at its lower end to one arm ol a lever 107 ulcrumed at 108 on the lrame 2, and the link G being similarly connected to one arm of a lever 109 fulcrunied at 11() on the l'rame. rllhe opposite arms ot the lever 107 and 109 are connected, respectively, to the lower ends ot vertical. rods 111 and 112. The links 105 and 106 have their upper end portions threaded to receive nuts 113 and 11d, respectively, and

when the rear arm et the lever G is swung upwardly by the engagement of the forward arm ot said lever with one of the cams on the cam wheel 171, this `iiovement is transmitted through the connections just described to the rod 111 and link 112 pulling them downwardly.

A twister mechanism or thread reinforcing mechanism is mounted at the head ot the machine and comprises a bracket 119 'tastened rigidly to the upper end ot a post 121 that is mounted tast on the machine trame. r1`his twister mechanism, except tor features that will be, hereinafter mentioned, is like that which has been on the market tor many ears under the name of the Acme Twister and shown and described in the Ames Patent No. 725,311, granted April 141-, 1903. rl`he i ain or running thread 118v is led from a cop or other source of supply over certain tension and detector mechanisms, not shown, through the twister mechanism, as shown in Figs. 1 and 1, and thence to the thread ring ot the machine. A. reinforcing thread 117, drawn trom a suitable supply, has its advance end normally held in the rotary lu'uslrllG of the twister mechanism. This brush or twister is rotated through suitable connections with a vertical rack bar 115 which is connected at its lower end to the upvgier end of the link 112. rlhese coin ections include a shalt 120 "hereon and meshing with and a pinion ta..

'the rack 115. when this link is moved the work.

Pivotally mounted at 125 upon the hea.r 119 is a slack providing thread guide arm 126 connected by a link 127 with a sleeve 123 which is slidably mounted on the post 121 below the head 119. rllhe rack bar 115 extends loosely through this sleeve and holds it against rotative displacement on the post. rllhis sleeve normally rests on a stud or pin 124; projecting from the rack bar. Near its outer end the arm 126 carries a thread eye 128 through which the reinforcing thread is led 'from the bobbin 129. From this eye 129 the thread travels through the twister mechanism, and through the twister brush 116.

Normally the slackener 126 occupies an elevated position as shown in Figs. 1 and 1, but when the rack bar 115 is pulled downwardly by the link 112 to twist in the reinforcing thread, the sleeve 123 drops due to its own weight and the weight ot the rin 25, thus causing the arm 126 to swing' downwardly into a substantially horiaontal position.` Consequently, at the saine time that the advance end ot the reinforcing thread 117 is twisted on to the main thread 119 and is carried forward therewith toward the needles, an ample supply ot' slack thread is provided between the twisted-on end et the reinforcing thread and the supply bobbin to prevent the draft on the thread 117 from pulling said twisted-on end oil trom the main thread.

lhen, at the completion of the toe or heel, the rear arm of the lever 156 is swung downwardly, `springs 133 and 134 (Fig. 3), connected, respectively, with the levers 107 andl 109, swing the latter back to their normal positions again thus lifting the rod 111 and link 112. 1W hen link 112 is returned to its normal position it acts through the rack bar 115, stud 124, sleeve 123 and link 127 to swing the slackener 126 upwardly, thereby causing it to draw thread from the bobbin 128 to furnish slack :for use when the advance end ot the'reintorcing thread is next twisted in.

The sleeve 123 is also connected by a link 135 with one arm ot' a bell crank lever 136 ulcrumed on the head 119, the other arm ot which is connected by a link 137 with one arm ot' a second bell crank lever 138 also :tulcrumed on the head 119. The other arm ot this second bell crank 138 carries at its free end a laterally extending wire linger 139 adapted to engage the reinforcing thread 117. The lever arm on which the tinger 139 is mounted actuates a pair of shears or cutters 14() ot the usual construction which are mounted on the head 119 just below the brush 11Gl With this construction it 'tollows that when the sleeve 123 moves downwardly with the rack bar 115 at the start of the'toe or heel, said sleeve acts through the link 135, bell crank 136 and link 137 to swing the bell crank 138 in a direction to litt the finger 139 so that it occupies a position above the reinforcing thread 117 while it is being ted forward with the main thread. It will be clear, also, that when the sleeve 123 is moved upwardly at the completion of the toe or heel, such movement will be transmitted to the bell crank 138 swinging it in a direction opposite to its former movement to cause its wire finger 139 to descend and carry the reinforcing thread between the blades of the cutter 140. At the same time the finger carrying arm operates the movable blade of said cutter and causes it to sever the reinforcing thread.

It is desirable during reciprocating knitting to maintain an increased tension on the thread and a novel mechanism in provided by this invention for automatically increasing and decreasing the tension at the desired times. For this purpose a lever is fulcrumed at 144 on the top of the bracket 119 and comprises two arms 142 and 143, the former resting normally on the upper end of the rod 111, above referred to, and the latter bearing on the upper end of a stem 145 movable vertically within a sleeve 146 rigidly mounted in the head 119. The stem 145 has a disk 130 fixed to its lower end while the sleeve has a cooperating disk or ring 131 fixed thereto. A helical spring 147 located within the sleeve 146 and surrounding the stem '145, engages a head provided on said stem at the upper end thereof and yieldingly urges the disk 130 toward the disk 131. The upper end of the rod 111 is bent laterally, as at 148, Fig. 5, and this laterally extending portion projectsv under the arm 142. Consequently, when said rod I occupies its normal position it holds the arm 143 and stem 145 depressed against the pressure of the spring 147 so that the thread is not gripped by the tension disks 130 and 131. But at the start of the toe and heel when the rod 111 is moved downwardly, as above described, the spring 147 lifts the stem 145 and causes the thread to be yieldingly and frictionally gripped between the disks 130 and 131, thereby increasing the tension on the main thread. This increased tension is maintained during the knitting of the heel and toe but at the completion of these parts the yrod 111 is moved upwardly by the spring 133, thus raising the lever arm 142, depressing the stem 145, and lowering the disk 130 into its open position. This relieves the tension previously exerted by this mechanism on the yarn.

The laterally extending upper end portion 143 of the rod 111 also lies beneath the rearward extension of a slack take-up arm 150 secured in a lever 149 mounted on the pivot pin `144 which supports the lever 142-143. This take-up arm 150 extends forwardly and has 'its end portion bent downwardly and provided with a guide eye through which the thread passes on its way from the twister mechanism to the needles. The rearward extension of this take-up lever or arm is provided with a weight 151 which is operative when the upper end portion 148- of the rod 111 is moved downwardly away from the rear arm of the lever 150, to swing the lever 150 on its fulcrum in a counter clockwise direction to take up any slack occurring in that stretch of the thread between the twister mechanism and the thread ring. As above stated, the downward movement of the rod 111 is produced at the start of the toe and heel and the rod is held in its lowermost position throughout the knitting of the heel and toe so that during this period the lever v150 is freefrom the control of the rod 111 and therefore operates to take up the pulsating slackening of the thread occurring during, and due to, reciprocating knitting. When the heel and toe lever 156 is returned to its original position the rod 111 is again raised, thus returning the take-up 150 to its normal position as shown in F ig. 4.

In addition to` reinforcing the heel and toe of a stocking, it is often desirable also to reinforce the knee, especially of childrens stockings, and the present invention provides a simple and reliable mechanism for automatically performing this operation. This mechanism comprises a cam 152, Figs. 2'an'd 3, which is formed on the hub 153 of the clutch cam and ratchet wheel 43. This cam is arranged to engage one arm of a lever 154 fulcrumed on a stud 155 projecting from the machine frame, the other arm of this lever being drilled to receive a vertical rod or link 157, Fig. 3, carrying a block 158 which is loosely secured to the rod and is swivelly connected at 159 with one arm of the lever 109. A collar 160 is secured to the rod 157 immediately above the end of the lever 154.

' The pattern chain 35 includes links which f operate through the usual controlling mechanism of the machine to impart a ste movement to the ratchet wheel 43 after the lower portion of the leg has been formed and when the knee or other portion of the leg which is to be reinforced is to be started. This movement causes the cam 152 to depress the forward arm of the lever 154. The `resulting upward movement of the rear arm of the lever 154 acts through the `collars 160 and 160, rod 157, lever 109 and link 112 to lower the rack bar 115 and sleeve 123, (Figs. 3, 4 and 6), with the result that the reinforcing thread 117 is twisted on to the main thread 118 and incorporated in the knee portion of the stocking. The cam 152 holds the lever 154 in this position until the reinforced portion of the leg has been nearly'completed, whereupon the pattern chain 35 initiates a further movement of the cam 152 to carry it out of engagement with lever. The weight of the larger rear arm of the lever 154 restores it to its normal position, permitting the spring 134 to return the lever 109 to ico.

its original position and thus cutting out the reinforcing thread, as above described.

1t will be observed that the twister 116, slackener 126 and cutter 140 are all actuated v through the link 112 while the take-up 150 and the thread tension are both actuated by the link 111. lt will also be evident that the link112 is arranged to be operated either by the heel and toe lever 156 or by the lever 154 but that the link 111 is controlled solely by the heel and toe lever. 1f the reinforcement of the knee is not desired the thread reinforcement mechanism can be relieved from the control of the cam 152 and lever 154 by loosening the collar 160 and moving it upwardly on the rod 157 out of the range of movement of the lever 154. Similarly, if it is desired to relieve either of the links 111 or 112 and the parts operated thereby from the control of the heel and toe lever, this can readily be done by moving the nuts 113 and 114 from the links 105 and 106, respectively.

It will also be appreciated that the invention has provided an exceedingly simple mechanism for controlling and operating the thread reinforcing means and the associated parts, and that this control has been so far effected through parts of the regular machine that it has been necessary to add only very little additional mechanism.

1What is claimed as new is:

1. In a hosiery knitting machine having knitting instrumentalities and pattern mechanism controlling the same whereby the machine iscaused to knit automatically a stocking having a foot and leg, the combination of a device for manipulating a reinforcing thread to control its delivery to said instrumentalities, controlling mechanism for causing said device to effect a reinforcement of the stocking during the knitting of the knee portion, and additional controlling mechanism for causing said device to effect a reinforcement of the stocking during the knitting of the heel and toe, said controlling mechanisms being independently operated, whereby either the knee portion or the heel and toe of the stocking, or both, may be reinforced as desired.

2. ln a hosiery knitting machine having knitting instrumentalities and pattern mechanism controlling the same for causing the machine to knit a stocking automatically, the combination of a device for manipulating a reinforcing thread to control its dclirery to said instrumentalities, and two mechanisms for operating said device, both of said mechanisms being under the control of said pattern mechanism and being arranged to be brought into operation by the pattern mechanism independently of each other.

3. In an automatic hosiery knitting machine arranged to knit either rotary or reciprocating work and to change automatically from one of said styles of knitting to the other, the combination of pattern mechanism controlling the sequence of operations of the machine, a lever under the control of said pattern mechanism and operable in effecting a change from rotary to reciprocating knitting, thread reinforcing mechanism, and connections between said lever and said thread reinforcing mechanism for causing said lever to operate the latter mechanism.

4. ln an automatic hosiery knitting machine arranged to knit either rotary or reciprocating work and to change automatically from one of said styles of knitting to the other, the combination of pattern mechanism controlling the sequence of operations of the machine, a lever under the control of said pattern mechanism and operable in effecting a change from rotary to reciprocating knitting, thread reinforcing mechanism, connections between said lever and said thread reinforcing mechanism for causing said lever to operate the latter mechanism, and additional means under the control of said pattern mechanism for operating said thread reinforcing mechanism.

5. 1n a knitting machine, a thread reinforcing means comprising a twister mechanism Vfor twisting the reinforcing thread 1 on to the main thread, a reciprocating rack bar for actuating said twister, a slackener for acting `on the reinforcing thread to furnish slack substantially at the time said twisting operation is performed, a sleeve through which said rack bar has a limited sliding movement, a cutter for severing the reinforcing thread, means connecting said cutter and slackener with said sleeve, and means for reciprocating said rack bar, whereby the reciprocating of said rack bar acts through said sleeve to operate said cutter and slackener.

6. In a rotary knit-ting machine for automatically knitting stockings having a heel, toe and leg, the combination of a heel and toe lever, thread guiding means, a takeup for acting on the thread between said means .and the work, mechanism for applying tension to the thread, a lever connected with said mechanism, a single device for engaging both said lever and said takeup to operate them, and connections between said heel and toe lever and said device for operating said device automatically.

7. In a rotary knitting machine' for automatically knitting stockings having a heel, toe and leg, the combination of thread guiding means, a takeup arm for acting on the thread between said means and the work, mechanism for applying tension to the thread, a lever for acting on said mechanism, a rod having anend portion arranged to act on both said takeup arm and said lever to hold 'the arm stationary and to CII lili

cause the lever to release the tension exerted by said mechanism on the thread, and automatic means under the control of the pattern mechanism of the machine for operating said rod.

8. In a knitting machine, a thread reinforcing means comprising a twister mechanism for twisting the reinforcing thread on to the main thread, a reciprocating rack bar for actuating said twister mechanism, a slackener for acting on the reinforcing thread to furnish slack thread substantially at the time that the twisting-on operation is performed, a sleeve having a lost motion connection with said rack bar, a link connecting said sleeve with said slackener, a cutter for severing the reinforcing thread, means connecting said cutter with said sleeve, and mechanism for reciprocating said rack bar comprising a cam arranged to be actuated by the pattern mechanism of the machine.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names to this specification.

' GILBERT MURPHY.

WALTER A. SIMOND. 

